Summary
The Dennis O'Keefe Show is an American sitcom produced by Cypress Production/United Artists Television[1] which aired on CBS for sponsor General Motors' Oldsmobile division. It was not a ratings success during its original run and was canceled after one season. The series was largely forgotten until a "Best Of" DVD release by Alpha Video during 2004. Certain episodes of the show can also be seen at the Internet Archive. It appears this series has entered the public domain.[citation needed]
| The Dennis O'Keefe Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | John Fenton Murray |
| Written by | John Fenton Murray Robert Fisher Alan Lipscott |
| Directed by | Don Weis Abby Berlin |
| Starring | Dennis O'Keefe Hope Emerson Ricky Kelman Eloise Hardt Eddie Ryder |
| Theme music composer | Leon Klatzkin |
| Composer | Leon Klatzkin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 32 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Les Hafner |
| Cinematography | Kit Carson |
| Editors | Frank Capacchione Herbert Smith |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Cypress Productions, Inc. |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | 22 September 1959 – 14 June 1960 |
Premise edit
Dennis O'Keefe portrays Hal Towne, a widower who is trying to balance his career as a newspaper columnist ("All Around Towne") and raise his 9-year-old son, Randy, in an apartment in New York City, with the help of a tough but lovable housekeeper, Amelia Sargent, better known as "Sarge", played by Hope Emerson.[2]
The series aired at 8 p.m. Eastern on Tuesdays, with competition from the last half of two hour-long western series, Laramie on NBC and Sugarfoot and Bronco, alternating on ABC, one of their many Warner Brothers offerings at that time.
Broadcasting history edit
- September 22, 1959—June 7, 1960: Tuesday at 8 p.m. on CBS.[1]
DVD release edit
Alpha Video released a budget DVD with 4 episodes[1] on November 23, 2004. They have yet to release more volumes.
Cast edit
- Dennis O'Keefe as Hal Towne[2]
- Hope Emerson as Amelia "Sarge" Sargent[2]
- Ricky Kelman as Randy Towne[2]
- Eloise Hardt as Karen Hadley[2]
- Eddie Ryder as Eliot[2]
Episodes edit
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hal's TV Date" | Norman Abbott | Robert Fisher & Alan Lipscott | September 22, 1959 |
| 2 | "Teacher's Pest" | Don Weis | John Fenton Murray | September 29, 1959 |
| 3 | "Moon Man" | Abby Berlin | Unknown | October 6, 1959 |
| 4 | "On Stage, Sarge" | Unknown | Unknown | October 13, 1959 |
| 5 | "Lancer, Come Home" | Unknown | Unknown | October 20, 1959 |
| 6 | "Like Father, Like Son" | Unknown | Unknown | October 27, 1959 |
| 7 | "Frame That Painting" | Unknown | Unknown | November 3, 1959 |
| 8 | "Superior Woman" | Unknown | Unknown | November 10, 1959 |
| 9 | "Bum's Bush" | Unknown | Unknown | November 17, 1959 |
| 10 | "There Goes the Groom" | Unknown | Unknown | November 24, 1959 |
| 11 | "It's Only Money" | Abby Berlin | Robert Fisher & Alan Lipscott | December 1, 1959 |
| 12 | "The Marriage of Babette Benoit" | Unknown | Unknown | December 8, 1959 |
| 13 | "Maid to Order" | Unknown | Unknown | December 22, 1959 |
| 14 | "Private Eyewash" | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 15 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 16 | TBA | Unknown | Unknown | January 5, 1960 |
| 17 | "The Hottest Kids in Town" | Unknown | Unknown | January 12, 1960 |
| 18 | "Cypress Grade School" | Unknown | Unknown | January 26, 1960 |
| 19 | "I Like It" | Unknown | Unknown | February 2, 1960 |
| 20 | "Follow That Mink" | Unknown | Unknown | February 9, 1960 |
| 21 | "How Many Scoops?" | Unknown | Unknown | February 16, 1960 |
| 22 | "Author, Author" | Don Weis | John Fenton Murray | March 1, 1960 |
| 23 | "Go Home Aunt Millie" | Unknown | Unknown | March 8, 1960 |
| 24 | "Enemy Father" | Unknown | Unknown | March 15, 1960 |
| 25 | "A Beau for Sarge" | Unknown | Unknown | March 29, 1960 |
| 26 | "The Regency Club" | Don Weis | John Fenton Murray | April 5, 1960 |
| 27 | "Dimples" | Don Weis | Robert Fisher & Alan Lipscott | April 12, 1960 |
| 28 | "Child Genius" | Don Weis | Alan Lipscott & Bob Fisher | April 19, 1960 |
| 29 | "Send This Boy to Camp" | Unknown | Unknown | April 26, 1960 |
| 30 | "Marriage, Anyone?" | Unknown | Unknown | May 3, 1960 |
| 31 | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 32 | "June Thursday" | Don Weis | Si Rose & Seaman Jacobs | May 10, 1960 |
Personnel edit
John Fenton Murray created the program, and Les Hafner was the producer. Abby Berlin, Jerry Hopkins, James V. Kern, and Don Weis were directors. Writers included Bob Fisher, Benedict Freedman, Robert Gottlieb, Seaman Jacobs, Joel Kane, Alan Lipscott, Jack Michael, Murray, and Si Rose.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Leszczak, Bob (2012). Single Season Sitcoms, 1948–1979: A Complete Guide. McFarland. p. 35. ISBN 9780786468126. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle F. (2009). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. Random House Publishing Group. p. 345. ISBN 9780307483201. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
External links edit
- The Dennis O'Keefe Show at IMDb
